Stanley Black & Decker is closing its last manufacturing facility in New Britain, which will result in 300 workers losing their jobs.
The facility makes single-sided tape measures, and those products are becoming obsolete, according to the company, whose headquarters remain in New Britain. Electronic devices use lasers to measure distance, and some cellphones can measure distance.
Stanley says it will offer jobs at other locations to employees whose work has been eliminated.
“We are focused on supporting impacted employees through this transition, including providing options for employment at other facilities, severance, and job placement support services for both salaried and hourly employees,” company spokesperson Debora Raymond said in a statement.
In recent years, Stanley has been reducing its workforce and closing some locations as it cuts costs. The company is also contending with President Trump’s tariffs, which have prompted price increases on its products made overseas.
Elected officials say the news stings.
"It's a sad day for New Britain. Stanley Works has a long history here and slowly but surely its presence has been eroded," State Rep. Dave DeFronzo, a Democrat who represents New Britain, told NBC Connecticut.
Mayor Bobby Sanchez, a Democrat, said in a statement that the news was "disappointing," but pointed to the president's tariffs.
“This decision reflects broader instability in the national and global economic environment," Sanchez said, the Hartford Courant reported.
